County Galway Kylemore Abbey Rejoining N59, we entered the even wilder landscape of Connemara. Coming to Kylemore Abbey, we stopped to look around. Again we didn’t go inside. Built in the 19th century, it is neo-gothic and not the real thing. But it was a pretty sight. We arrived in Clifden, our destination point, early! [...]
July 10th Up in the morning, I put on my dress shirt and pin-stripe trousers, then trekked out for my 30-minute walk from my new home in Newcastle, into city centre for work at noon. A bit of chill, a bit of mist, but the air was nice, crisp, refreshing – always good for a [...]
No matter when you get off the bus, after dropping your gear at the hostel you know you’ll want to make the pub one of your next stops – or first, depending on just how much you like your Guinness! Sooner or later, depending on how much you have in the pub, you’ll probably want [...]
If Ireland has surprised me in any way, it is that the coffee here is actually pretty damn good (as opposed to Scotland, where the brew still tastes a bit like it’s been mixed with gasoline). Even more surprising is that a small city like Galway has so many coffee shops. Quality and atmosphere vary [...]
Bookstores For fellow bibliophiles, should you go to any of these places, leave your wallet in the safe at the hostel – especially if you have credit cards. Leave your pack in storage as well, because if your reaction is anything like mine you will want to simply move in to one of these kickass [...]
If you’ve been reading the other entries of this guide, you may have noticed that I seem to be in a constant state of surprise. This is not far from the truth, as I had very little time to research and prepare for this Ireland trip. I came to Ireland, and to Galway, cold, and [...]
You never know who you will meet on the street...o 